Knockdown box.



C. F. JENKINS.

KNOCKDOWN BOX.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 16, 1909.

981,277, v Patented Jan. 10, 1911.

OI-IARLESFRANCIS JENKINS, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

KNOCKDOWN BOX.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 10, 1911.

Application filed July 16, 1909. Serial No. 507,973.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES FRANoIs JENKINS, citizen of the United States, residing at Washington, District of Columbia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Knockdown Boxes, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing.

This invention relates particularly to knockdown boxes which consist of pieces secured together by ties, preferably of wire, and the principal object is to provide a box which shall be simple and strong and capable of being shipped in fiat condition and of being used repeatedly.

In the preferred form the box is rectangular and consists of six rectangular boards and certain wire ties, the boards being witho u t interlocking parts.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a box involving the invention. Fig. 2 is a partial section near and parallel to one of the sides of the box shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a plan View of the four sides of the box in knockdown condition, or connected by the ties and all lying in the same plane. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of one corner portion of an end piece of the box. Fig. 5 is a perspective view showing a modified construction of the end pieces. Fig. 6 is a perspective View, similar to Fig. 1, showing a modified CODSUHQEL In Figs. 1, 2, 3, 4, A, B, C, D represent four plane boards forming the top, bottom, and lateral walls of a rectangular box having plane end pieces E, F, adapted to fit the space within the four boards which may be called four sides to readily distinguish them from the ends. Each of the four sides is provided with holes G at a little distance, respectively, from its four corners, all the holes at each end of the box being approximately in the plane of the corresponding end piece, and all having the same diameter, which is approximately equal to the thickness of the end pieces. Through the holes at the two ends of the box are threaded wires H in pairs as shown. The end pieces are preferably slightly wedge-shaped at the corners as shown in Fig. 4, so that these angles may enter readily between the wires and be wedged firmly between them, as shown in Fig. 2.

The parts being thus formed and arranged, the ends are put in place, the four sides being brought against their margins, respectively, and the wire ends at the left in Fig. 3 being passed through the holes in the right side of the member A. The wires are then drawn as taut as may be and twisted together, binding the sides firmly against the end pieces which are wedged tight between the two wires and thus prevented from moving toward or from the end of the box. Preferably, the end of the side piece is notched at I so that the twisted ends may be bent down over the end piece as shown, so that they may neither injure nor be injured in handling the box.

To open the box, nothing is needed beyond a pair of cutting pliers, and the wires being cut, the three sides and two ends may be removed leaving the contents of the box upon the fourth side or bottom. I/Vhere fragile articles are shipped, this opening without blows for any purpose and without springing the sides of the box is a matter of some importance. The wires being removed, the box OI any number of them may be piled as plane lumber and shipped or stored, ready at all times for use whenever new ties are provided.

Instead of using two parallel wires to hold each end piece, a box not without merit may be made by using a single wire X, Fig. 5, passing it through the corners of the end piece, preferably in a slot as shown. In this case the holes in the sides may be small.

l/Vhere it is desirable to have the angles of the box held more securely, the wires being used in pairs as in Fig. 1, two ends may be twisted together as before, and the other two may be also twisted together and then carried entirely around the box and drawn down firmly into the wood at the angles, as shown in Fig. 6. The wire thus carried around the box may be secured in any suitable manner, preferably by twisting the ends together upon the opposite side of the box and bending them into a notch I as shown.

What I claim is: corner portions tapered, to Wedge between The combination with lateral box Walls the ties, u an i l y s $613 for h- 10 assembled in tubular form, of pairs of n tlmony whereof I have aflixed my slightly separated circumferential ties, one gn r 1n presence of tWo wltnesses.

5 pair near each end of the tube, pasing diag- CHARLES FRANCIS JENKINS.

onally through the box Walls and across WVit-nesses: the angles made by them, and end pieces JAMES L. CRAWFORD,

fitting Within the tube and having their WM. M. BIRNEY. 

